Nanny and the Alpha Daddy

#Chapter 56: A Good Match

Moana

Just as Sophia was going to ask if I was going to dance, her eyes caught something behind me and her face lit up. “Kelly!” she exclaimed, waving over my shoulder. “How nice to see you!”

I felt myself tense, as did Ella, who was still holding my hand. I turned around slowly to see Kelly approaching. I hadn’t noticed before from where I stood and because she was standing behind the podium, but her dress was inappropriately tight and low cut for a charity gala, and she appeared to already be tipsy as she walked up to us. She brushed right past me, as if I wasn’t even there, and walked straight up to Sophia.

“Thank you so much for your donation,” Sophia said, smiling widely and holding her hand out for Kelly to shake.

Kelly gave Sophia’s hand a half-hearted — and almost disgusted — squeeze and swirled the bubbly champagne around in her glass. “It’s my pleasure,” she said.

I was still surprised that Kelly, of all people, would donate any money at all to a foundation for human orphanages, but perhaps she really wasn’t as bad as I had originally thought. “That’s very kind of you,” I said.

Kelly looked over at me as though I hadn’t been standing there at all, and as though she only noticed me when I finally spoke. “Oh, Moana,” she said, flicking a strand of blonde hair over her thin shoulder. “I didn’t know you were here… You know Sophia?”

I nodded, but before I could say anything, Ella suddenly spoke up. “Moana grew up at the orphanage!” she exclaimed excitedly, unaware of the implications of revealing something like that. Kelly’s eyes immediately narrowed, and as she looked at me, her gaze felt as sharp as a dagger.

me, I sensed a hint of mocking humor behind her icy

my shoulders back

paused for a long, uncomfortable moment. “It’s funny,” she said, licking her lips and taking a sip of her champagne, her eyes still fixed on me over the top of the

so much; if she had known that Oceanside Orphanage was the orphanage that I grew up in, I

going to dance,” she said, her voice breathy. “It was a pleasure seeing

on the day that I first met Kelly — but I had to push those feelings down, because as both Edrick and Selina

Kelly — one that was likely blinded by

seem

Suddenly, as though she shared my mind, Ella spoke up again. “No way!” she said, folding her arms. “They are not a

couldn’t help but laugh a

…

closer to the dessert table. With a promise to say goodbye before we left, I finally relented and let Ella

place to sit, we heard a familiar voice calling Ella’s name and looked up to see Verona sitting at a table nearby, beckoning for Ella.

both cheeks as I approached. “My, look at your little green dress. You’re as cute as a button.” She looked up at me then, and

the open chair on the other side of Ella, which I did, and tucked a napkin